


Wrong Number

by orphan_account



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Calling The Wrong Number, Chance Meetings, Festivals, First Meetings, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, Pining Hiccup, Yak Enthusiast Jack, Yaks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-24
Updated: 2014-05-08
Packaged: 2018-01-20 16:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1516568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack met Hiccup after the latter called him by accident when he needed some help. It was a memorable enough first meeting that they wanted to see each other again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fateful Mistake

Jack couldn’t have been more grateful for the call that distracted him from his mind-numbing attempt to find something interesting on TV. He answered it with the desperate eagerness of someone who was utterly bored.

"Hello?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Jack hoped he wasn’t about to listen to one of those recorded message from carpet-cleaning services. He had been hoping for something more interesting than cooking shows and police drama.

"Uh… this isn’t Snotlout, is it?" a nasally, hesitant voice asked. Jack sighed.

"No. There’s no Snotlout here. You got the wrong number."

"Oh no," the stranger said, panic creeping into his voice. "Oh, no, no, no, no."

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Oh, yes. I’m great. I’m stuck in a gas station, I used all of my change to call the wrong number and I’m gonna have to walk home with my knees bleeding."

"Woah, are you hurt?"

"No, just some scrapes. But my bike went under a car and I broke my cell phone when I fell. I was trying to call my cousin so he would pick me up."

"Oh. I see." Jack took one glance at the TV screen where some melodrama was going on. "I can come pick you up," he offered eagerly. He was bored and intrigued and the slight desperation hiding under the other’s casual tone enticed him to go and help him.

"A-are you sure? I don’t want to bother you more than I already have."

"No, no, it’s fine. Just tell me where you are."

* * *

 The gas station was probably farther than he should be willing to go for a stranger on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but he didn’t protest. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do and he couldn’t just abandon the guy to his fate, could he?

He pulled in at the station and looked around for a “scrawny brown-haired guy with lots of freckles”, as he had described himself. As it turned out, he didn’t really need a description. He found him sitting next to a trashed bike, picking at the scrapes on his knees. Jack parked the car next to him and got out.

"Hey, uh, Hiccup, right?"

The man raised his head, looking up at him with striking green eyes. A relieved smile stretched his lips. “You’re the one I spoke to on the phone. You really came!”

"Of course I came. I said so, didn’t I? Hang on a moment." Jack opened the passenger door and pulled out a first aid kit from underneath. He sat down in front of Hiccup and started to rummage through it. "Let’s take care of those first, alright?"

"Hey, you don’t have to. I can take care of them when I get home."

"Out of the question. You got dirt in those." He didn’t listen to the other man’s further protest, instead tearing off the wrapping of an antiseptic wipe. “That might sting a bit.”

"Why are you doing this anyway?" Hiccup asked when Jack started rubbing at the torn skin.

"Because they need to be cleaned."

"I don’t mean that. At least, not only that. If you wanted to help, you could have just called my cousin for me."

He had been pretty sure that wasn’t what Hiccup was referring to, but he didn’t know himself the answer to his real question. He didn’t have to come all the way here to help a stranger get home. But something about Hiccup’s panicked voice had made him want to see the man it belonged to. He had not expected him to be this handsome, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.

"Because I was bored and there was nothing on TV." 

"Oh."

Hiccup’s disappointment made Jack regret not telling him the truth. He distracted himself by placing adhesive bandages over the man’s knees. A quick inspection turned up more scrapes on the side of his left leg and on his elbow, but those weren’t as bad. He cleaned them anyway.

"Alright. We’re all done. You can get in the car, now."

"Thanks." 

* * *

The drive to Hiccup’s apartment building was uneventful. He lived in the small, nearby town of Berk. Jack had never been here before, so he asked about the place.

"It’s pretty uneventful. Entertainment here is mostly about sports. Everyone’s crazy about our teams. The Vikings, the Dragons, the Hooligans… and whatever our basketball team is called."

"Oh. Do you do sports?"

"I can’t even ride a bicycle without almost killing myself," Hiccup said in self-derision. 

"Accidents happens. Anything else to be done here?" Jack asked, eager to change the subject.

"There’s the… yak festival, later this summer. With all of its yak themed stuff."

"That sounds like fun."

Hiccup gave him a disbelieving look, one eyebrow disappearing beneath his dark bangs. “It does?”

"Yeah. I love festivals. They’re full of fun stuff."

"I swear it’s only boring stuff. But I guess you could come and see for yourself," Hiccup said. He pointed ahead. "This is where I live."

Jack parked the car and got out with Hiccup so he could unstrap the bike from the car roof. The young man shifted in place awkwardly. Jack hoped he hadn’t been so annoying that Hiccup couldn’t wait to get away from him. He hurried to get the bike down and hand it back to its owner.

"There you go!"

"Thanks, er, I didn’t ask what your name was?"

"Jack."

"Thanks, Jack. Is there… is there anything I can do in return?"

Jack bit his lip. He didn’t want to ask for any kind of payment, but this was his chance to, maybe, get to see the other again. He gathered his courage and gave Hiccup a casual smile.

"You could take me to that yak festival."


	2. Near-Date Experience

Hiccup couldn’t believe he was really doing this. His finger hovered over the numbers without daring to call. It had to be a prank. If he called that number, he would find himself talking to an old lady with a hearing problem who wouldn’t understand him when he told her that he had the wrong number. Because there was no way Jack was really expecting him to call him about that stupid Yak Festival, right?

 Or even worse, it was the right number but he had been joking about the festival and would laugh at him when Hiccup explained why he was calling. He would die of embarrassment if he had gotten this wrong. But was he willing to miss that chance? Embarrassment had never killed him before. He took a deep breath an dialed the number.

With each ring that wasn’t followed by the voice of the young man he had met almost a month ago, his nervousness increased, as did his certainty that the number was fake. He was about to give up when an out of breath voice was suddenly heard on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

He didn’t recognize the voice. Was it only because of how breathless the other was, or was it not Jack? Did he even clearly remember Jack’s voice? It was deep, he recalled. Seeing the man, so thin and youthful, had surprised him after hearing that voice. But he could not be sure if the voice that just greeted him was deep or not. It was hard to tell. It was probably not Jack. He had been an idiot to think the man had given him his number.

"Uh, sorry. I think I got the wrong number."

A chuckle, more familiar this time, answered him. “Again? Are you making a habit of this?”

Hiccup smiled in relief and surprise. So it was Jack after all. “You recognized me?”

"You got a pretty distinctive voice."

Hiccup didn’t know if he meant this in a good or bad way. “I, uh, guess I do.” He wasn’t sure how he should breach the subject of why he was calling. He cleared his throat awkwardly. 

"So, Hiccup," Jack said before he could say anything more. "Please tell me you’re calling to tell me it’s that Yak Festival you promised to take me to. I’ve been waiting eagerly."

Hiccup couldn’t tell if he was teasing or not, but he had come this far, he couldn’t just pretend it wasn’t why he called. And maybe he was serious and actually thought that the Yak Festival sounded amazing. If so, he would be disappointed. “It starts this Friday, actually.”

"Great! Where do you want me to meet you?"

Jack’s enthusiasm brought a baffled smile to his lips.

* * *

Hiccup hadn’t been to Berk’s Yak Festival since he had been young enough for his dad to drag him here every year. It was a little stunning that he was going there of his own free will. But he owed it to Jack. After the young man came to help him even though he had no reason to, the least he could do was take him to a festival. Supposing he really was coming.

Hiccup still half believed it was a joke. That he would wait there and Jack would never show up. Not because he had any reason to believe that Jack would do something like that. Simply because it was hard to wrap his brain around this. A man like Jack was someone he would expect going out to clubs and other popular places, not to a lame festival in a small village. And certainly not with someone like him.

He rode his new bike to the festival’s parking lot, where he had told Jack to meet him. He hoped his instructions had been clear enough. He wouldn’t want him to get lost in the narrow streets of Berk and resent him. Hiccup jumped off his bike next to the rack, locked it in place and took a look around. Quite a few cars filled the lot, with people milling around, mostly families with younger children. 

Finally, he spotted him. Leaning against his car near the festival’s entrance, his messy, shockingly white hair ruffled by the wind, Jack watched the people walk by with a smile on his lips. Hiccup had forgotten just how ridiculously pretty the man was. He wore a faded blue T-shirt and frayed jeans, fitting for the place, but he couldn’t even begin to blend in with the shaggy townspeople surrounding them. Jack’s blue eyes caught his, his smile widened and Hiccup’s knees weakened. 

It was easy to fall for someone like Jack—helpful, attractive and with a smile to die for—but Hiccup would probably not be so pathetically crushing on the man he had only met once if not for the circumstances of said meeting. Jack had gone out of his way to help him when Hiccup hadn’t even been sure he would get help from the one he had actually been trying to reach, and that was something he was very grateful for. Even if Jack said he only did it because he was bored.

The memory of the white-haired man gently cleaning his scrapes was one that often returned to him in the past month and brought a sense of longing with it that had Hiccup sighing like a schoolgirl. Those caring eyes and that soothing voice put a balm on his disastrous day and haunted him for the following weeks.

Jack pushed himself off the car and crossed the space to join him. Hiccup only now noticed that he had been staring at Jack with a helpless smile on his face for way too long. Great. He must look like a total goof. Or love-sick, which was even worse, because even though he could acknowledge his interest, he knew better than to think he had a chance. Not unless he really managed to impress Jack. And the Yak Festival was sure to do the opposite of that. 

"Hiccup! So nice to see you again. I was starting to think I wouldn’t."

"I, uh, it’s nice to see you too. But I still don’t know why you wanted to come here, of all place."

Jack sent him a radiant smile. It made Hiccup’s heart beat faster. His mouth went dry. “Because I’ve never been to a Yak Festival. I want to see it!”

"You’re going to regret this."

"You’re underestimating my ability to have fun. Can we go in, now?"

Hiccup sighed. Jack was obviously not going to believe that the Yak Festival was nothing fun until he had seen it for himself. Very well. Hiccup nodded and started toward the entrance. Jack followed, an eager smile on his lips and his eyes lit up with a childish spark. Anxiety clawed at Hiccup’s chest. He didn’t want Jack to be disappointed. He should have worked up the nerve to invite Jack to a thank you dinner before today.

But now, he hadn’t seen the man in a month and he was going to show him around the some booths selling tacky yak-themed objects. And he didn’t even want to think about the events. That was the worst kind of first date he could think off. And it was what Hiccup liked to think of this as, even if it wasn’t officially a date. It was still an outing with someone he was interested in, with the goal being to get a second date. Maybe even a real one. But he would settle for a “I’m sorry this wasn’t what you expected, please let me treat you to dinner to make up for it” kind of thing.

They walked under the banner that marked the entrance to the festival’s ground. From there, they had a good view of all of the miserable installations. A circle of wooden booths with various merchandise, a stage, a few fenced areas, most of them, containing a handful of lazy yaks… Hiccup cringed. He hadn’t remembered how shoddy everything looked. Like everyone had built their own booth in their backyard. Which, of course, they had. This morning, in some cases.

"Ta-da," he said without much enthusiasm, holding his arms out on either sides. 

Jack’s eyes travelled across the whole area, slowly taking in everything. Hiccup fidgeted, awaiting a verdict. Jack’s gaze stopped on a nearby booth. They widened. Hiccup’s heart fell. “Are those… yak hats?”

"I’m afraid so."

Jack’s grin could have blinded the sun. “I have to try one!”


End file.
